Cotton picker



June l, 1937.

A. FREUDENBERG COTTON PICKER Original Filed March '4, 1952 d: Sheets-Sheet 1 QN Wmv nventor ZbeWi aada/:berg

(Ittorneg Juvr-xe l, 1931.- I

original Fiieq March 4, 1952 A. c.v FREUDENBERG COTTON PIGKER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 June l, 1937- A. c. FREUDENBERG 2,082,053

COTTON P ICKER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed March 4. 1932 Snnentor aber? an Mae/J Gttorneg June 1, 1937. A FREUDENBERG 2,082,053

COTTON PICKER Original Filed March 4, 19252 'lll/IIIA lbfi edezzbezy Patented June l, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,082,053 v COTTON 'PICKER Albert C. Freudenberg, Greenville, Miss., assigner l to 4Charles R. Berry and Hugh A. Gamble, both g of Greenville, Miss.

Application March 4, 1932, Serial No. 596,849

' Renewed July 30, 1936 19 Claims. My present invention relates generally to cotton pickers, and more particularly to cotton pickers of what is best known as the spindle type where rapidly rotating spindles are caused to pass into the plants so that such cotton as is encountered is wrapped around the spindles and pulled from the boils. l

The most common formof spindle machine is that in which the spindles radiate from the surfaces of a pair of parallel spaced apart vertical cylinders between which the plants pass. These cylinders are revlvedat about the speed of forward movement of the machine so as not to mutilate the plants, and it is plain that the spindles are effective to pick cotton as they swing around the inner or adjacent sides of the cylinders. The cotton so picked is removed from the spindles, as they swing around the outer sides of the cylinders.

The above type of cotton .picker has demonstrated its effectiveness and eiliciency in actual use in the eld, but the many connections to the cylinders hardly permit of their duplication ina single machine and thus limit the machine to a single row harvester.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide a two-row cotton harvester of the spindle type, and a further Objectis to provide a machine, for instance, a tractor, with two picking units, each of the spindle type though avoiding the use of cylinders and still maintain eiliciency at a high point, both in respect to quantity and quality of the picked cotton.

A still further object is to provide a machine having separate picking units so arranged, mounted and connected as to permit of the ready easy repair or substitution of each unit should it be required. v

A still further object is the provision of a picking unit or mechanism, which automatically adjusts itself when the machine passes over uneven ground and which assures the nal recovery of a very high percentage of cotton bolls in a clean most highly prized state.

A still further object is the provision of a two unit picking mechanism, which readily lends itself to use in connection with commercial tractors from which the units may be readily removed.

With the above and many other objects in mind, my invention proposes a cotton picker having the construction and advantages which will be made plain in the course of the following description and by reference to the'accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure l is a top plan view of a machine embodying my invention in its preferred form;

Figure 2 is a front-elevation thereof; Figure 3 is a detail' vertical section on an enlarged scale partially through one of the units;

Figure 4 is a similar view taken lengthwise through one of the units; f

Figurev 5 is a diagram showing thedirectional movement of the various chains and theirrcontrolling and driving connections;

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical section partially through one of the spindle actuating bars and the adjacent portion of the corresponding spindle carrying bar;

Figure '7 is a side view, partially broken away and in section of the spindle .actuating bar of Figure 6; Y.

Figure 8 isV a detail horizontal section taken on line 8-8of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a detail section taken through one of the spindles on line 9,-9 of Figure 6; f

Figure l0 is avdetail perspective .view of one of the spindle bearing-sleeves; and,

Figure 11 is a similar view of one of the spindle connecting collars. f

Referring now to these figures, and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, my invention proposes the suspension of two picking units, one at each side of a tractor, so connected that they will assume vertical positions at all times and may be connected and vdisconnected readily and easily for purposes of repair and substitution; In the figures mentioned, the tractor is shown generally at i5 and may be a well-known farm tractor intended for double-row cultivation, with small closely related front steering wheels i6, large widely spaced rear wheels I1 and .laterally extending housed driven shafts I8 adjacent to the rear thereof for the driving'ofthe two pickerv units through shafts I9 having flexible couplings 20. f

I preferably mount tractor a readily removable @basket `2l for the reception of the picked cotton through llexible conduits 22, Whose rear discharge ends are turned downwardly into the basket, and for the support of the picking units I rigidly mount at the foryward side portions of the frame of theftractor a pair of upwardly extending brackets 23. These brackets have upper Outstanding portions, preferably with upstanding lugs providing for their rigid connection andsupport by a tie bar 2| extending above and across the tractor.v

Asbest seen in Figure 2, the outstanding arms of the supporting brackets 23 are downturned and atvtheextreme rear of the shaped to provide for the connection of the picking units in suspended relation by pivot bolts 25, and while it is to bc understood the various connections previously describe-d may necessarily be varied according to the particular construction of the tractor which is employed, the foregoing functions and results in any case should permit the picking units to assume vertical positions at all times.

The picker units are of similar construction, eX- cept as to rights and lefts, and each has a top plate 26 and a bottom plate 21 rigidly connected in the desired spaced relation in practice by suitable stay bolts, and each supporting vertical rotatable forward and rear shafts 28 and 29. The top plate 26 also has upper bearings for a longitudinal shaft 30 connected at its rear end to the' forward flexible coupling 26 of the connecting shaft I9 and this shaft has, opposite the vertical shafts 28 and 29, worms 3| and 32, respectively, for driving the said verticalshafts in relatively opposite directions through worm wheels 33 and 34.

Immediately below the top plate 26, the shafts 28 and 29 have thereon double sprockets 35 and 36, the toothed discs of each sprocket being vertically spaced. The sprocket 35 is keyed to shaft 28. while the sprocket 36 is-loose on shaft 29, and these sprocket-.s will thus be rotated, and their connecting three run sprocket chain 31 moved, according to the direction of rotation of shaft 28 which is clockwise. The upper and lower runs of the chain 31 engage the sprocket teeth of sprockets 35 and 36 whose spacing leaves the center run of the chain free for the reception of and cooperation with the spindle rotating connection to be hereinafter described.

At points below the double sprockets 35 and 36, the shafts 28 and 29 support single sprockets 38 and 39 and similar sprockets 38a and 39a are supported on these shafts at their lower end immediately above the bottom plate 21. The sprockets 38 and 38EL are loose on the forward shaft 28, while thesprockets 39 and 39a. are keyed to the shaft 29 so that these several single sprockets and the upper and lower chains 40 and 4| travelling in engagement therewith will be moved in the direction of rotation of the rear shaft 29, which is counter-clockwise.

The carrier chains 40 and 4|, just above referred to, are made up of link connected blocks, as best 'sect1 in Figure 8, where the blocks 42 are shown connected in spaced relation by links 43 so that the blocks 42 will seat between the teeth of the sprockets driving the carrier chains.

To the blocks 42 of the upper and lower carrier chains, the upper and lower ends of upright carrier bars 44 are rigidly connected by set screws or bolts 45 so that the bars 44 travel with the carrier chains 49 and 4| around the sprockets 38, 363, 39 and 39a, moving regularly from the front to the rear of the picker unit at its inner side where, by means of idle guide sprockets 46, the carrier chains and bars are shifted outwardly beyond a normal line between the driving sprockets, as will be seen in Figure 1.

Each carrier bar 44 has a vertical series of horizontal transverse openings to slidably receive therethrough its respective vertical series of picking spindles 4l' and upper and lower dummy spindlev48. Each such series of spindles is supported by a bar 49 inwardly beyond the respective carrier bar 44, as particularly plain in Figure 6. The inner ends of the dummy spindles 48 are preferably tightly screwed into the upper and lowvof the spindle 41.

er ends of the supporting bar 49, as at 50, so that with their snug sliding connection with the respective carrier bar 44, the two dummy spindles of each vertical series effectively prevent lateral strain on the intermediate picking spindles 41 of the series.

Each spindle supporting bar 49 has at its upper and lower ends horizontally disposed rollers 5| which travel in guide tracks 52 attached to the top and bottom plates 26 and 21 and the hollow body of each bar is open along one side to permit of the ready connection and disconnection of the inner ends of the picking spindles 41 so that they may with respect to the supporting bar and at the same time be confined against longitudinal movement with respect thereto. To this end, as plainly seen in Figure 6, each picking spindle is extended at its inner end through spaced apart bearing rings 53 rotatable in the opposite walls of the bar, and through a collarV 54 between the bearing rings 53 to which the spindle is secured by a transverse taper pin 55.

Through each carrier bar 44, which has a removable side plate 56, is a vertical rotatable shaft. 51 having at its upper end, above the bar, a sprocket wheel 58 in engagement with the center run of the three run chain 31, previously described, and each shaft 51 has at spaced points therealong within the bar a securely fastened worm 59. Each picking spindle 41 slides through a sleeve 60 journalled through bearings 6| in the carrier bar 44, upon whichy sleeve a worm wheel 62 is splined, this worm wheel being in engagement with one of the worms 59 of the shaft 51, as seen by a comparison of Figures 6 and '1.

At the outer side of the carrier bar 44, each sleeve 60 has a lengthwise slotted end 63 having an annular external groove 64 (see Figure 10) protruding from the bar to receive a flanged cap 65 (see Figures 6 and 1l) having inwardly projecting ngers 66 to extend through the slots 63 of the sleeve and into lengthwise grooves 61 A split spring ring 6B seated in the groove 64 of the sleeve, holds the cap 65 in place to couple the spindle rotatably with the driven bearing sleeve and at the same time permit the spindle to freely slide through the sleeve and with respect to the carrier bar, for a purpose which will presently appear.

The picking spindles 41 are well adapted to the above described clutching means, since the grooves 61 are necessarily a feature thereof to permit of the formation of teeth 69 by milling the surface of the cylindrical tapering bodies of the spindles along lines inclined with respect to the longitudinal axes thereof. The milling cuts extend through one wall of each of the grooves 61 which wall is along a true radial line with respect to the axis of the spindle. Thus, the center line of each groove 61 is offset with respect to the axis of the spindle giving the toothed wall of each groove a substantial radial projection ,beyond the opposite wall thereof without projection of any part beyond the true circumferential surface of the spindle. This structure permits of more readily engaging the cotton tufts without making it any more diflicult to remove the cotton from the spindle.

Obviously. since the spindles are moving with the carrier bars in one direction (counter-clockwise) and the spindle rotating chain 31 is moving in the opposite direction (clockwise), the sum of the speed of these oppositely moving parts is the speed of rotation of the spindle rotating shafts 51, thus imparting the necessary speedy vUi in curved relation along the inner side of the unit from front to rear thereof. y These strips 10, of which there is, of course, a vertical series, are spaced apart so that the horizontal rows of `spindles pass between them alongthe entire inner side of the unit and are secured at their forward and rear ends to uprights. 1I carried by the ends of bracket arms 12.

The arms 12 are formed in connection with brackets 13 extending from the top and bottom plates 26 and 21 forthe rotatable support of vertical front and rear rollers 14 and 15 laterally from the inner side of the unit. These rollers have vertical series of annular grooves to receive a vertical series of endlessbelts 16 which form the picking channel between the same and the guard strips.18 and which receive the ex-` tremities of the spindles between them asithe spindles move rearwardly along the inner or picking side of the unit. 1.

The belts 16 are preferably of some suitable flexible material and, obviously, serve to support the plants as the spindles move into and through the latter during their travel throughout the length of the picking channel formed between the more or less parallelseries of belts 16 and guard strips 10. During this operation, the rapidly ro.- tating spindles pick the cotto'n ltufts and any broken leaves or twigs are freed by virtuey of thepassage of the spindles between the belts 16 and between the guard strips just before the spindles, with the picked cotton thereon, roundV the rear sprockets 39 and 39B. A

During such movement of the spindles around the rear sprockets or rear end of the unit, there is, obviously, ample time for all leaves and twigs to drop or be shaken free so that the cotton ywill be in a free clean condition as the spindles approach the stripping and doflng-stationat the outer side of the unit. i.

During the picking of the cotton. the spindle supporting bars 49 closely follow the carrier bars M by virtue of the arrangement ofthe guide channels 52 in parallel relation to the travel of the carrier chains 40 around the front, rear and inner picking side of theunit, so that during these portions-of the travel of the endless series of spindles-they will remain in maximum extension beyond the carrier bars 4I, `as shown in Figure 6.

At the outer side of the unit, as seen in Figure l. in dotted lines, however, the guide channels or tracks 52 are deflected inwardly and offset or spaced from the straight travelling carrier chains and bars for a distance equal to the lengths of the spindles. Thus, the supporting bars 49 will be shifted so as to withdraw the spindles lengthwise through the carrier bars until just the extreme ends of the spindles extend outwardly beyond the carrier bars for something less than the full travel of the carrier bars along the outer side of the unit. Obviously, during y,the shifting of the spindles inwardly through the carrier bars, the tufts of cotton on the spindles will be shifted spaced to the spindle ends, the carrier bars acting as strippers. i y f ,At the outer side of the unit, in a casing l11 supported from the top and bottom plates 26 and 21, an endless card belt 18travels around upper and lower horizontal rollers 19 and 80, the shaft ends of the retracted spindles and the spines or needles takethe cotton tufts from the spindles ends and carry the cotton upwardly to the upper roller 19. i v i kAlong its upper outer'side the casing 1 1 has formed in connection therewith a suction mouth 84 adjacent to the top of the card belt 18. v The upper shaft 83 Ahas a brush 85 -mounted .thereon to rotate with a rapid movement against the top of the card belt andbrush the tufts from the latterv into the suction mouth 84,- all as plainly shown in Figure 3. Shaft 83 is rotated by means of an upper cross shaft 86 in connection atits outer end therewith by gears 81 and in-connection at its inner end, by gears 88, with the shaft '30,-see Flgurel.

The suction mouth 84 is in communicationwith the suction intake of a fan 89 mounted on the top plate 26 and to the outlet ofl which the forward' end of the respective flexible conduit 22, before referred to, is connected. The'fan or blower thus mounted, may be driven by suitable gearing 88 from the shaft 30,as seen in Figure 1;'

`As the machine shown invFigure 1 moves forwardly in the field, straddling two rows of cotton" plants, in the direction of the arrow, the plants.

areguided into thepicking channelsof thev two suspended picking units by the forward outcurved ends ofthe guard strips 18 and inclined deflector plates 9| disposed at the' forward ends o f the belts 16. Passing rearwardly through each picking channel between the guard strips 10 and belts 16, theplants are'subjected to theaction'of the rearwardly moving andrapidly rotating picking spindles which penetrate all parts thereof and` detach all cotton'7 tufts encountered thereby.

By'v utilizing for the above purposes, endless series of spindles passing around spaced sprockets, a much greater number of spindles arev constantly in action than would be possible Awith a cylindrical picker having radiating spindles, `and this advantage holds good also when the cotton is stripped from the spindles and doffed by' the card belts and brushes at the outer sides of the units.

Obviously, I may quickly and easily repair and substitute parts whenever necessaryV without withdrawing the machine from the field-in' view of the adaptability of each unit to be completely removed and another substituted until such'repairs or substitutions are effected. Theseand the various other advantages before referred to particularly recommendI the present cotton picker as practical, efficient and economical in thev highest degree.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a cotton picker, a tractor, picking units detachably in connection with said tractorand individually outstanding-therefrom at'its opposite sides, supporting means carried'by and outstanding from the tractor, hinged connections between said supporting means and said units whereby said units are permitted to swing toward and away from the tractorand at the same time prevented from swaying lengthwise of the tractor, and driving connections between the tractor and each of said picking units.

2. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of upright carrier bars, a series of spindles movable with each carrier bar and rotatable with respect thereto, carrier chains for supporting and moving said bars, other chains travelling in the same vertical plane with said carrier chains for rotating said spindles, and spindle rotating connections carried by said bars and including sprocket members in constant engagement with said spindle rotating chains.

3. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of upright carrier bars, a series of spindles movable with each bar and rotatable and lengthwise movable with respect thereto', carrier chains for moving and supporting said bars, spindle rotating means including connections supported by said carrier bars, a series of bars to which the spindles are rotatably connected and held against lengthwise movement, and means for guiding said last named bars and shifting the same toward and away from the carrier bars.

4. In a cotton picker, a picking unit includingnected and held against lengthwise movement,`

said last named bars having rollers at the ends thereof, and tracks receiving said rollers to guide the bars and shift the same toward and away from the carrier bars.

5. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of upright carrier bars, a series of spindles movable with each bar and rotatable with respect thereto, carrier chains for supporting and moving said bars, other chains travelling in the same vertical plane with said carrier chains for rotating said spindles, means for supporting and moving said chains in relatively opposite directions, and spindle rotatingconnections carried by said bars including sprocket members in constant engagement with said last named chains.

6. Ina cotton picker, a picking unit including top and bottom plates, a pair of spaced apart upright shafts journalled in said plates, means for simultaneously driving said shafts in relatively opposite directions, sprockets on said shafts and secured in driving relation to one of the shafts, a series of upright carrierk bars supported and moved by said chains, series of picking spindles movable with said bars and rotatable with respect thereto, spindle rotating chains, sprockets for said latter chains mounted on said shafts and connected in driving relation to the other shaft, and spindle rotating connections on said carrier bars including sprocket members in constant engagement with said spindle rotating chains.

7. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of vertical rows of spindles, means including carrier bars and endless chains for moving said spindles lengthwise of said unit, connections for rotating said spindles during such movement, means forming a flexible movable wall defining a path for the plants between the same and the spindle moving means, and opposing the spindles at the picking side of the unit, and means for removing cotton from the spindles at the opposite side of the unit.

8. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of vertical rows of spindles arranged inl horizontal lines, means for supporting and moving said spindles, connections for rotating the spindles, and means forming a plant receiving channel lengthwiseof one side of said unit including spaced apart members each having vertically spaced elements between which the spindles extend and are movable at the corresponding side of the unit and the elements of one of which Amembers are idly movable with the plants.

9. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of vertical rows of spindles arranged in horizontal lines, means for supporting and moving said spindles, connections for rotating the spindles, and a series of vertically spaced ilexible belts movably mounted along one side of the unit paralleling movement of the spindles and into spaces between which the ends of the spindle project, said belts de'ning a path between the same and the spindle supports, for receiving the plants, and being idle for movement with the plants.

10. In a cotton picker, a picking unit including an endless series of upright carrier members, a series of spindles movable with each carrier member and rotatable and lengthwise movable with respect thereto, means for supporting and moving said members, means in connection with said members for rotating said spindles during such movement, spindle supporting members adjacent to said carrier members, movable therewith and to which `the spindles are rotatably connected and held against lengthwise movement, and means for shifting said supporting members away from the carrier members during a portion of thetravel of the latter whereby to move the spindles lengthwise to retracted position. Q

11. In a cotton picker, a series of vertical rows of picking spindles, an endless movable support for said spindles including upright carrier bars. each bar supporting a row of spindles and through which the spindles project in lengthwise movable relationspindle rotating connections carried by each bar including members having splined connection with the spindles, and supporting bars paralleling the carrier bars and movable therewith and toward and away therefrom, the spindles being rotatably in connection with said supporting bars and held against lengthwise movement with respect thereto. f

l2. In a cotton picker, a series of lengthwise grooved picking spindles, an endless series of carriers with which said spindles are movable and with respect to which the spindles are lengthwise shiftable, means for shifting the spindles, and means for rotating the spindles in the carriers, said last named means engaging in the Agrooves of the spindles.

13. In a cotton picker, a series of bodily movable and axially rotatable spindles having lengthwise grooves, means engaging in the grooves of the spindles for rotating the same, and means for shifting the spindles lengthwise during rotation.

14. In a cotton picker, a series of spindles, each having longitudinal grooves, and means for rotating the spindles including means engaging in the grooves thereof.

l5; In a cotton picker, a tractor, picking units detachably in connection with said tractor and individually outstanding therefrom at its opposite sides, supporting means carried by and outstanding from the tractor, and hinged connections between said supporting means and said units, said connections permitting the units to swing toward and awayirom the tractor and at the same time preventing the units from swaying lengthwise of the tractor.

e 16. In a cotton picker, a tractor, upwardly and f laterally outstanding supporting brackets at opposite sides of said tractor, and picking units hingedly suspended in detachable relation from said brackets. the hinges to swing toward and away from said tractor and at the same time preventing swaying of the units lengthwiseof the tractor. j Y

1'7.` In'a cotton picker, a tractor having side supports and laterally outstanding driven shafts, picking units detachably connectionfwith said supports to swing with respect thereto and maintain vertical positions at all times, and flexible driving connections between 'said units and said driven shafts, the pivoted con- 20 nections of the Y*units preventing lengthwise swaying thereof.l t

permitting the unitsl pivoted in pendulous 18. In a cotton picker, a tractor, a. picking` unit bodily supported at the side o! the tractor for'- wardly of its rear wheels, and a hinged connection between the unit and the support permitting Y the unit to swing with respect to the tractor laterally of the line of movement thereof and at the same time constrain the same from lengthwise swaying.

19. In a cotton picker, a. tractor, picking units laterally offset from, and horizontallyalongside, said tractor and wholly within vthe lengthwise limits o! the tractor, and supports projecting laterally'from the directly to said picking units whereby the units are freely swingable laterally toward and away at all times, and at the same-time prevented from swaying lengthwise. i

'maar c.

tractor and hlngedly connected i5 from the tractor to maintain vertical allnement 

